EU proposals on food labelling mixed bag for British farmers

EU proposals on food labelling have been described as a mixed bag for British farmers and growers by the National Farmers Union.

On the plus side, the NFU has welcomed the European Commission's commitment to a Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) approach for front of pack nutrition labelling, which promotes informed and balanced choices for consumers without a bombardment of information or over simplification.

But there was disappointment that the EU had stopped short of proposing mandatory country of origin labelling, with NFU Vice President Paul Temple describing this as 'a missed opportunity'.

"Instead, we see a voluntary proposal which will lead to a confused and varied approach across EU member states, with every country adopting its own national legislation on origin labelling," said Temple.

"But the battle is far from lost, as these are only proposals and the issue still has to be debated in the European Parliament. We shall be urging NFU members to contact their MEPs to ask them to make sure that country of origin labelling is made compulsory, to provide greater transparency for consumers, and to enable British farmers and growers to earn a fair return for their investment in quality and assurance."

Temple added that the NFU would be reaffirming its concerns at both a UK and Brussels level in the forthcoming consultations."